> There is
> very clear evidence that if a mite's footpads touch those crystals, the
> mite dies.  If a crystal touches a mite's carapace, there is no apparent
> immediate effect.


I have seen the footpad comments but not the carapace. Was the OA anhydrous
or the hydrated version? My understanding is the hydrated OA (the form of
OA that most use) first boils off its water then sublimates into anhydrous
OA which condenses throughout the hive. Does the anhydrous OA have an
effect when in contact with the mite's body?

The reason I ask is that the alcohol fogger which I commented about and
which is suspect, would condense hydrated OA crystals and not anhydrous OA.
The alcohol fogger does not seem to kill mites, and if it does, not as
efficiently as the anhydrous OA.

Also, the only thing I ever found on the mechanism was that the person that
supplied the footpad theory (also included mouth parts) had the mites walk
through OA which as I recall, he did not identify as either hydrated or
anhydrous so my guess is hydrated since it is the most common. It did kill
them..

From that, it is apparent to me that some clarity is needed when addressing
the mechanism for mite kills since there seems to be a very definite
difference in effectiveness between anhydrous and hydrated Oxalic Acid. In
essence the difference between a vaporizer and a fogger.The former works
and the latter is questionable. Both deposit OA crystals in the hive but
the OA is not the same.

It appears you have the studies, so could you clarify this for me?

Bill Truesdell
Bath, Maine.

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